Reading protest group Sell Before We Dai has responded to Reading FC's official update on the sale of the club.

Up for sale since autumn 2023, the club looks to remain under the ownership of Dai Yongge heading into 2025, a reality which strikes fear into all connected with the club after financially limping through the last 18 months.

Close to being sold to American Rob Couhig in the summer, the former Wycombe Wanderers chief is now set to force legal action on the club for breaching terms.

In talks with an unnamed party for over two months, the club confirmed in a statement on Thursday that the matter is taking longer than hoped.

Since August 2023, Sell Before We Dai have organised protests both during and around matchdays, including an infamous match abandonment against Port Vale in January and a march in the town attended by thousands of concerned supporters.

"We're pleased to see a statement and the promise of monthly updates," the statement read. 

"However, there are two major things conspicuous by their absence in this statement. 

"In the short term, we are very worried about funding. The statement released on 7 October said funding will be available until the “transaction’s intended completion”. Today's statement doesn’t provide reassurance that our bills will be paid going forwards. 

"Secondly, there was no mention of exclusivity, which raises concerns about how much progress on a sale has actually been made. 

"This, along with the Independent report that Rob Couhig intends to take the club to the High Court, will worry supporters. 

"A team that’s succeeding on the pitch needs a fresh start ASAP. Judging by this statement, it still doesn’t seem like a new era can begin yet."